Iowa’s Venom, Oil and Toxic Sap
Iowa’s Venom, Oil and Toxic Sap

I once struck up a conversation with a man from Australia and while talking I asked him the question most people want to know about Australians, “how many times have you been bitten by one of your crazy spiders you have down there?” His answer was shocking, “Oh not many, probably less than 20 times.”

I once struck up a conversation with a man from Australia and while talking I asked him the question most people want to know about Australians, “how many times have you been bitten by one of your crazy spiders you have down there?” His answer was shocking, “Oh not many, probably less than 20 times.” My coworker and I laughed in horror and amazement and counted our blessing of living in the relatively venom free state of Iowa.

I once struck up a conversation with a man from Australia and while talking I asked him the question most people want to know about Australians, “how many times have you been bitten by one of your crazy spiders you have down there?” His answer was shocking, “Oh not many, probably less than 20 times.” My coworker and I laughed in horror and amazement and counted our blessing of living in the relatively venom free state of Iowa. But only relatively venom free, within Iowa’s borders there are a handful of flora and fauna that if encountered can leave an unlucky Iowan itchy, burning, swollen, scarred and in the worst of scenarios, permanently incapacitated or dead.

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Dangerous Plants and Animals in Iowa

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Hunting Nocturnal Whitetail

Whitetail Black Ops: Operation Nocturnal Bruiser

Whitetail Black Ops: Operation Nocturnal Bruiser There is very little the modern hunter does not have at his disposal when it comes to tools, weapons, and attractants, that will help to even the odds between the hunter and the hunted. Each year, state of the art equipment makes scouting, patterning, and harvesting a mature whitetail […]

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Selecting Loads for Pheasant Season

Selecting Loads for Pheasant Season

Selecting Loads for Pheasant Season It’s that time of the year again, when many of us dream about opening day for hunting the wily rooster pheasant. For nearly 60 years, which starts to date me, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed chasing the old rooster, almost always behind my favorite dog. We have always enjoyed the experience hunting […]

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Hunting Nocturnal Bucks in Iowa

Hunting Nocturnal Bucks in Iowa: Whitetails 365

Hunting Nocturnal Bucks in Iowa: Whitetails 365 So, you’ve set your sights on bagging that elusive buck. You’ve put in your time scouting with trail cameras and glassing him in green soybean fields. Once October 1 hits, he disappears. When you do get pictures of him, it’s only at night. Now we begin the quest […]

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Top Public Upland Hunting Areas in Iowa

Top Public Hunting Upland Areas in Iowa Iowa’s rolling fields and picturesque landscapes set the stage for an exhilarating outdoor pursuit that is just around the corner, pheasant season. As the leaves begin to turn and a crisp autumn breeze fills the air, hunters from across the state and beyond eagerly anticipate the opening of […]

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Featured Story

Springtime Panfish-Perch, Crappie, and Bluegill

Spring is in full swing here in Iowa, and what can be more pleasant a reminder than the sound of birds, the sight of flowers blooming, and the feel of a warm afternoon? I can think of at least one more thing…Panfish!

I can remember it like yesterday, our family would all meet up at the lake house. There was work to do. The yard was to be picked up, the cabin cleaned, and the dock had to be put in. But then, after the work was finished, it was time for all of us cousins to fish! We would all go out to the garage to pick out a few old rods and tie on a hook and sinker as best we could.

The next order of business was to hunt for worms. Flipping anything that we could find stuck in the ground in hopes of just finding a few crawlers. Once the bait was secured, we were ready to fish. We would go out on the dock and cast, vertical jig, and even troll along the side of the dock. We usually did pretty well use those tactics, but my all-time favorite was walking along the rocks on shore and dropping the bait down every little crevice, not knowing what was going to come up next.

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The Iowa Sportsman website and magazine are Iowa’s only privately owned media sources catering to hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts here in Iowa. Simply put, we are unlike other Iowa outdoor media sources: All our staff is from Iowa, from our publisher to our writers. We actually follow through on what we advertise; we provide knowledgeable content from people who know the industry or sport discussed.